Automatic control device for elevators.



PATENTED APR. 30

' S. S. TBAGUE.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVIOE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 7.1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- animate; I

Samuehi T6 6 Que.

1; Means (Midway! Til: nomus PETERS 50., wnsnmamu, u. c.

No. 852,358. PATENTBD APR; 30, 1907. s. s. TBAGUB.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 7. nos.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ms NORRIS rsrsns cu. WASHINGTON. nc.

No. 852,358,. PATENTED APR. 30, 1907.

- S. S. TEAGUB;

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

animate:

SamueZ J. Tegue.

v 4; fltron up n45 NDWIS PETERS cm, wnsmucmu, n. c

and closing of the elevator door.

IINIED STATES PATIENT OFFIQEQ SAMUEL S. TEAGUE, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR OF FIFTY-ONE ONE-I-IUNDREDTIIS TO JOSEPH I. SAKS.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

Application filed June 7,1906. Serial No. 320,509.

To a, whom it vim-y concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. TEAGUE, engineer, a citizen of the United States, residing at IVa-shington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Control Devices for Elevators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to automatic control devices for elevators and has for its object means by which the operation of the elevator is automatically controlled by the opening In devices of this general character, it is old to provide means whereby the elevator having been stopped at a particular landing and the door opened, a start cannot again be made until the door is closed; also to provide means such as counterweights or springs whereby when the operating lever is released, it will return to its inoperative position; also to provide for the shutting off of the water supply to the operating cylinder upon the opening of the elevator door or similar contingency.

As distinguished from these, my invention provides that upon the opening of the elevator door, for instance, means are set in motion whereby through hydraulic pressure, the shipper mechanism is itself thrown to an inoperative position and there locked. Provision is also made, whereby, after the shipper mechanism is rendered inoperative by the opening of a door, it may be released by the conductor to enable the car to be moved slowly to the point where the door is open for the purpose of closing the same.

The invention consists, moreover, in cer tain features of construction whereby the different elements co-operate to secure the desired result in a perfectly automatic and entirely certain and efficient manner.

The invention, as hereinafter more fully described and as particularly set out in the claims, will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings setting forth a preferred embodiment of the same and modifications.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a general view of the device assembled in connection with the operating cylinder of an elevator;

l l i Fig. 2 .is a horizontal section through the device in one position of operation; Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 at an intermediate locked position; Fig. 4 is a similar view to big. 2 in the other extreme position of operation; Fig. 5 is a view showing an operative connection between the device and the elevator doors; Fig. (3 is a top plan of a modification; and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary View in elevation of a valve employed.

'hilc the invention may be readily applied to any orr'linary form of elevator, 1' have illustrated and will describe the same as connected with a hydraulic elevator.

The main operating cylinder 1, containing the usual pistons operating by and through the piston rods 2 and the cross head 3 upon the sheaves a to communicate motion by means of the ropes 5 to the elevator car in a 'well known manner, is supplied with water through the operating valve 6 of ordinary construction from a pressure tank (not shown) by means of a pipe 7. This operating valve is manipulated in the well known way from a pulley S operated from the car by the shipper rope 9. The mani 'iulation of this operating valve might be effected by means of levers, rods or any other well known structure, the term shipper mechanism being used hereinafter to embrace any device for manipulating the operating means from the car.

A fluid pressure pipe 10, tapping the supply from the pressure tank, leads to a valve mechanism forming the important part of my invention and composed, principally, of the auxiliary valve 11, the stem 12 of which is adj ustably connected at its extremity with the rack 13 and is provided with disks 14 and 15. The connection between the pressure pipe 10 and the auxiliary valve 11 is by means of branch pipes 16 and 17, provided. with check valves 18 and 19 permitting of a flow in a forward direction only, and also with manually operable valves 20 and 21, the branch pipes 16 and 17 comnumicating with the respective ends of the auxiliary valve 11 by ports 22 and 23. The port 2st opens from the central portion of the valve 11 to the discharge pipe leading to an open tank.

Pipes 26 and 27, containing check valves 28 and 29, lead from the two ends of the valve 11 to the pipe 30, communicating with the port 31 arranged intermediate the two extremes of a differential valve 32, provided with a piston 33, carrying disks 34, 35, 36 and 37, the latter of which is of greater diameter. A small pipe 38 leads from the pressure pipe 10 and communicates by two branches 39 and with the two ends of the differential valve 32. A discharge pipe 41 leads from the intermediate portion of the valve 32 to the open tank by way of the discharge 25, and a waste pipe 42 leads from the larger end of the valve 32 to a control valve 43, located adjacent to the lower portion of the elevator shaft 44, from whence a waste pipe leads to the open tank. The control valve 43, shown in section in Fig. 5, is a simple balanced valve having an inlet from pipe 42 and an outlet to pipe 45 with spaced disks so arranged that in the upper position the lower disk closes the inlet and in the lower position the inlet and outlet communicate by means of the space between the disks. The stem and disks of this valve are raised to close the same in the manner hereinafter described, and return to the normal open position of'their own weight.

Attached to the stem 46 of the control valve 43 is a cord or rope 47 extending upward through the elevator shaft. Spring pressed bolts 48, attached to the cord 47, are held retracted against the tension of the springs 49 by the closed elevator doors (as shown in the upper and lower portions of Fig. 5). These bolts when released by the opening of the door, (as indicated in the central portion of Fig. 5) will, under the tension of their springs, exert a pull upon the lifting cord 47 to close the valve 43, and again permit the same to drop and to open the valve 43 when the door is closed.

The rack 13 carried by the stem 12 of the valve 11 is also connected with the stem 51 of the main operating valve 6, forming a rigid coupling between the stems of the auxiliary valve 11 and the operating valve 6. This rack 13 is in engagement with a pinion 52 keyed to a spindle 53, upon which is mounted the pulley 8 of the shipper mechanism, wherefore it will be seen that any movement of the auxiliary valve will be positively transmitted to the shipper mechanism and the op erating valve.

The operation of the device is as follows: Whenall of the doors of the elevator are closed, the control valve 43 will be opened and the operating valve of the elevator will remain under the perfect control of the conductor by the shipper mechanism. If, for instance, the elevator is ascending, the oper ating valve 6 will, by means of the shipper mechanism, have been thrown to an extreme position and such movement of the shipper mechanism and operating valve will have also, by the rack connection, thrown the auxiliary valve into the position shown in Fig. 2, the water from the pressure pipe 10 passing through the pipe 17, past the check valve 19 and through the port 23 into the right hand end of the valve 11, and thence through the port 24 and the discharge 25 to the open tank, a portion also passing through the pipe 27 by way of thecentral portion of the differential valve 32 and the pipe 41 to the open tank, the water thus having free and uninterrupted course through the valve system. If, on the other hand, the elevator be descending, the auxiliary valve 11 will, by reason of the shifting of the shipper mechanism and the operating valve, occupy a posi tion at the other extreme as shown in Fig. 4. In this case, the course of the water through the valve system is by way of the pipes 10 and 16, past the check valve 18, through the port 22 to the left hand end of the valve 11, and thence through the port 24 and the discharge pipe 25 to the discharge, there also being a flow from the left hand end of the valve 11 through the pipe 26, past the check valve 28 and through the central. portion of the differential valve 32 by way of the discharge pipe 41 to'the open tank. If the elevator be brought to a standstill, the shipper mechanism being shifted to an intermediate position, the rack coupling between the shipper mechanism and the two valves 6 and 11 will likewise bring the auxiliary valve 1 1 to an intermediate position as represented in Fig. 3, in which case the water from the pressure pipe 10, attempting to flow through either the pipe 16 and the left hand end of the valve 11, or through the pipe 17 and the right hand end of the valve 11, finds no egress through the port 24 to the discharge 25, by reason of the disks 14 and 15 occupying positions one on either side of said port 24, whereby the said valve 11 is balanced.

In either of the three positions referred to, the elevator doorsall being closed and as a result the valve 43 being open, the differential valve 32remains in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the waste pipe 42 relieving the pressure from the larger disk 37 so that the piston of said valve is held by the pressure of the water entering the left hand end of said valve from the pipe 39 in its extreme position as shown. It will be seen that under these conditions the water entering the right and left hand ends of valve 11 and finding no egress through the port 24 and pipe 25, may pass through both the pipes 26 and 27 through the differential valve 32 and the pipe 41 to the open tank. Thus, so long as the valve 43 is open and there is no obstruction to the waste of water from the larger end of the differential valve, said valve remains in the position-shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and the auxiliary valve 11 is entirely idle and does not in any way affect the manipulation, by the conductor, of the operating valve and the main cylinder. If, however, during the as- IIO cent of the elevator, the valve mechanism a being in the position shown in Fig. 2, one of the doors of the elevator should from any cause become opened, an upward pull upon the cord 47 will close the control valve 43 and the excess pressure upon the right hand end of the piston of the differential valve, due to the larger area of the disk 37 will throw said piston to the left into the position shown in Fig. 3, whereby the passage of water from either end of the auxiliary valve 11 through said differential valve is prevented by reason of the disks 35 and 36 occupying positions on either side of the port 31. As a result, the water entering the left hand end of the valve 11 and finding no egress through the pipe 26, exerts its pressure 'tothe right upon the disk 14, driving said disk with its stem 12 to the right, the water in the right hand end of the valve 11 finding egress through the port 24 and pipe 25 to the open tank. This movement continues until the rack 13 has reached the intermediate position shown in Fig. 3, when the disk 15 carried by the valve stem 12 will have closed the passage from the right hand end of the valve 11 to the port 24 and thus have equalized the pressure on both disks 14 and 15, which disks will occupy po sitions on either side of the port 24, as shown in Fig. 3. This movement of the' stem 12 of the auxiliary valve 11 is transmitted by the rack coupling to the operating valve 6 and also to the shipper mechanism, whereby both are thrown to an inoperative position and the elevator is stopped If the elevator be descending and the valve mechanism in the positionshown in Fig. 4, when the elevator door is opened the movement will be the reverse, that is, the closing of the passage through the differential valve 32 will cause the pressure of the water in the right hand end of the valve 11 to drive the disk 1.5 with its stem 12 and the rack 13 to the left. The water in the left hand end of the valve 11 will escape through the port 24 and the pipe until the combined movement of the rack and valve stem to the left brings the disk 14 to a position to out off the flow through the port 24 and the discharge pipe 25, whereupon, the pressure on the two disks 14 and 15 will be equalized, said disks occupying again the positions shown in Fig. 3 on each side of the port 24. In this case also the motion will have been transmitted by the rack to the operating valve and shipper mechanism, both of which will then be in an intermediate inoperative position and the elevator will be stopped. In either case, the shipper mechanism and op erating valve is locked in its inoperative position, it being impossible to shift the same be cause of the water trapped in both ends of the valve 11, any interchange of flow between the two ends being prevented by the check valves. It will be seen, therefore, that the shipper mechanism and operating valve can not be brought into a position to operate the elevator until the door is closed,

or by some other means the flow of the waste from the larger end of the difl'erentialvalve 32 through the pipe 42 is resumed.

It might happen that through some interference or accident an elevator door on the top floor of a tall building should become opened when the elevator was at the bottom of the shaft. In such a case it becomes imp ortant that means he provided whereby, the elevator having been once stopped and the conductor placed upon his guard, he should be enabled to' move the elevator carefully and guardedly up to the open door to close the same. To accomplish this result, I may provide a bypass 54 around the control valve 43, said by-pass being normally closed by a weighted safety valve of ordinary construction, a cord 55 leading from said valve to a position in the elevator car so that if the elevator is looked in an inoperative position by the opening of the door the conductor may, by the operation of this cord, open the safety valve and establish a flow through the bypass 54, whereupon the piston of the differential valve would move from the position shown in Fig. to that shown in Fig. 2, restoring control over the shipper mechanism and operating valve to the conductor.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modified connection between the auxiliary valve 11 and the control valve 43, by which the differential valve 32 is entirely dispensed with, the pipe 30 instead of leading from the valve 11 to the differential valve 32 proceeding directly to the control valve 43. It will be seen that the operation of the valve 43 directly controls the fl ow of water from both ends of the valve 1 1. By this arrangement the construction is much simplified and would in many cases be preferable to that shown .in the other views and previously describm In connection with Fig. 6 also is shown a further modified connection between the auxiliary valve and the control valve, the rack 13 being in this case not connected directly with the stem 51 of the operating valve but indirectly, the spindle 53 of the pinion 52 being coupled at 56 to another spindle 57 carrying a pinion 5S engaging with a second rack 59 connected with the stem 51 of the operating valve 6. In this case the pulley S of the shipper mech anism could be mounted upon either the spindle or 57.

'1 he invention, as herein set forth, being an improvement in or modification of that disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 317,226, is not claimed broadly here, but in such companion application to which reference is hereby made.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thercol'i, of a valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply to both ends of the valve, discharge ports from both ends of the valve and from an intermediate point, the intermediate discharge port controlled by the valve disk, and means operating automatically to interrupt the flow through the end discharge ports.

2. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of a valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply to both ends of the valve, discharge ports from both ends of the valve and from an intermediate point, the intermediate discharge port controlled by the valve disk, and means operating automatically upon the opening of an elevator door to interrupt the flow through the end discharge orts. p 3. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of a valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply to both ends of the valve, discharge ports from both ends of the valve and from an intermediate point, the intermediate discharge port controlled by the valve disk, check valves arranged in the pressure fluid supply and in the discharge from the end ports, and means operating automatically to interrupt the flow through the end discharge ports.

4. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of an auxiliary valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply leading by branch pipes containing check valves to both ends of the auxiliary valve, a discharge port from the auxiliary valve intermediate its two ends and arranged to be controlled by the disk, discharge pipes containing check valves and leading from both ends of the auxiliary valve to a common pipe, and a control valve operating automatically upon the opening of an elevator door to interrupt the flow through the last named discharge pipes.

5. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of an auxiliary valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with spaced disks, a pressure fluid supply to both ends of the valve, a discharge from both ends of the valve and from an intermediate point, the intermediate point of discharge occupying a position between the spaced disks when the shipper mechanism is in .an inoperative position, and means operating automatically upon the opening of an elevator door to in terrupt the discharge from the two ends of the auxiliary valve.

6. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of an auxiliary valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply by branch pipes containing check valves to both ends of the auxiliary valve, a discharge port arranged intermediate the two ends of the auxiliary valve and controlled by the disk, discharge pipes containing check valves leading from the two ends of the auxiliary valve to a common pipe, a differential piston valve provided with inlet and outlet ports for the passage of the discharge from the two ends of the auxiliary valve, said ports controlled by disks carried by the piston of said valve, a pressure fluid supply to the larger and smaller ends of the diflerential valve, a waste pipe leading from the larger end of the differential valve, a control valve arranged in the waste pipe, and means operating automatically upon the opening of an elevator door to close the control valve to interrupt the waste from the differential valve.

7. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of an auxiliary valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply by branch pipes containing check valves to both ends of the auxiliary valve, a discharge port arranged intermediate the two ends of the auxiliary valve and controlled by the disk, discharge pipes containing check valves leading from the two ends of the auxiliary valve to a common pipe, a differential piston valve provided with inlet and outlet ports for the passage of the discharge from the two ends of the auxiliary valve, said ports controlled by disks carried by the piston of said valve, a

pressure fluid supply to the larger and smaller ends of the differential valve, a waste pipe leading from the larger end of the diflerential valve, a control valve arranged in the waste pipe, a spring pressed bolt normally held retracted against the tension of its spring by the closed elevator door, and a connection between the bolt and the control valve whereby the opening of the door will close the control valve.

8. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of means operating automatically upon the opening of an elevator door to throw said shipper mechanism from an operative into an inoperative locked position, and means under the control of the conductor and other than the shipper mechanism for releasing the said shipper mechanism.

9. A control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of an auxiliary valve system coupled with the shipper mechanism, means operating automatically upon the opening of an elevator door through the auxiliary valve system to throw said shipper mechanism from an operative into an inoperative locked position, and means under the control of the conductor and other than the shipper mechanism for releasing the shipper mechanism from its locked position.

10. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of an auxiliary valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply by branch pipes containing check valves to both ends of the auxiliary valve, a discharge port arranged intermediate the two ends of the auxiliary valve and controlled by the disk, discharge pipes containing check valves leading from the two ends of the auxiliary valve to a common pipe, a differential piston valve provided with inlet and outlet ports for the passage of the discharge frpm the two ends of the auxiliary valve, said ports controlled by disks carried by the piston of said valve, a pressure fluid supply to the larger and smaller ends of the differential valve, a waste pipe leading fronithe larger end of the diflerential valve, a control valve arranged in the waste pipe, means operating automatically upon the opening of an elevator door to close the control valve to interrupt the waste from the di'llerential valve, and means for reestablishing the waste independent of the control valve.

11. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of an auxiliary valve having its stem coupled with the shipper mechanism and provided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply by branch pipes containing check valves to both ends of the auxiliary valve, a discharge port arranged intermedi ate the two ends of the auxiliary valve and controlled by the disk, discharge pipes containing check valves leading from the two ends of the auxiliary valve to a common pipe, a difl'erential piston valve provided with inlet and outlet ports for the passage of the discharge from the two ends of the auxiliary valve, said ports controlled by disks carried by the piston ol said valve, a pressure lluid supply to the larger and smaller ends of the difl'erential valve, a waste pipe leading from the larger end of the dill'erential valve, a control valve arranged .in the waste p ipe, means operating automatically upon the opening of an elevator door to close the control valve to interrupt the waste from the di'l lerential valve, a by-pass arranged. in the waste around the control valve, a valve controlling said by-pass, and means within the control of the conductor for operating the said last named valve.

12. In a control device for elevators, the combination, with elevator operating means, and shipper mechanism acting thereon, of an auxiliary valve having its stem coupled with the shipper meclminism andprovided with a disk, a pressure fluid supply by branch pipes containing check valves to both ends of the auxiliary valve, a discharge port arranged in termediate the two ends 01 the auxiliary valve and controlled by the disk, discharge pipes containing check valves leading from the two ends of the auxiliary valve to a com mon pipe, a difl'erential piston valve provided with inlet and outlet ports for the passage of the discharge from the two ends of the auxiliary valve, said ports controlled by disks carried by the piston o1. said valve, a pressure fluid supply to the larger and smaller ends 01 the difl'erential valve, a waste pipe leading from the larger end of the dillerential valve, a control valve arranged in the waste pipe, means operating automatically upon. the opening of an elevator door to close the control valve to interrupt the waste l'rom the difl'erential valve, a by-p ass in the waste around the control valve, a safety valve arranged in the bypass and normally held closed, and means within the control of the conductor for opening the safety valve.

In testimony whereol I allix my signature to this specification, in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL S. TEAGUE.

WVitnesses:

Lnwls T. Gnnrs'r, EDWIN 0.1'11LDEBRAND. 

